By Karen Y. Stevens

 

I was doing an update on my phone this morning, wishing I could do that to my brain, body, etc.

Just download a system update and wa-la!  New and improved me. Working faster, leaner, more efficient, giving better answers, making life easier for everyone around me.  

If only it were that simple.  

Jesus never promised us an easy life.  As a matter of fact, just the opposite.

John 16:33 states, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world, you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Jesus is warning us that we will have trouble, so why are we so surprised when it comes?  Sometimes, or should I say most of the time, I do not like the updates that change my phone.  It changes the way it works; it moves stuff around where I must look for items each time, it looks different, it acts different, it’s just not the same.  But, when I get used to the update, yay! I love my phone again, and all is well until the next update.

I have come to realize this is how it must be with my phone, because if I don’t do the update, my phone will just keep reminding me of the update, and eventually the phone won’t work properly until I do the update.  

In the past, I tried to put it off as long as possible and found out first hand, that this is not a good thing.  And such is life. We might as well change our behavior in life; or update ourselves so to speak, because we will have to eventually, or we will not function properly.  

God expects us to endure hardship, to discipline ourselves.  

In Hebrews 12:7 it states, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children.  For what children are not disciplined by their father?”  

I do not like discipline, but I do like being better.  

This is Easter week and Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice as we all know.  

His crucifixion was indeed the greatest act of sacrifice in the history of the world, a perfect demonstration of His own teaching in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Jesus is the ultimate update.  There is no Jesus.2

His supreme offering of His sinless life paid the terrible cost of all of mankind’s sins for all time (see Hebrews 9:26-28; 10:10, 12, 14), and His life showed us how we should act and live.  

You can get updates for your mind and soul by reading about Jesus.  

Study how He responds to people.  

Study how He showed compassion even when He was so tired.  

After the learning curve, you too will be happy with your update.  We all must go through the process, so just make up your mind to do it, and do it now.  Don’t put it off.

Read your Bible each day and pray that Jesus will help you thru the updates and learning curves.

 

Karen Y. Stevens is the founder of Orange County Christian Writers Guild